


This Ain't a Fairy Tale

by NervousAsexual



Series: Whumptober 2020 [11]
Category: The Petrified Forest (1936)
Genre: Hostage Situations, Insurance Fraud, Introspection, Stereotypes, black and white thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAsexual/pseuds/NervousAsexual
Summary: This ain't a fairy tale, and you're no hero.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960987
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	This Ain't a Fairy Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober prompt #11--Defiance

You knew you wouldn't make it out of this a hero. Might as well give somebody else that chance, right? Might as well do something in character. Might as well.

But there's part of you that wants to turn and walk away. "What's one more life," he says, like it's some casual gesture. What does he know? You aren't some glass-eyed kid peeling the wings off butterflies. Yeah, you've killed people, but you were doing what it took to survive.

What's this spoiled rich jerk know about surviving? Lived off his wife, the world handed to him on a plate, and he wasn't even content with that. No, he's gotta live how the other half does. He's one of those who thinks your life is some melodramatic radio serial where it all wraps up at the twenty-minute mark. Storyline over. Tune in next week.

There's that rattle of gunfire outside. How many cops?

Enough.

Go on. Open up your eyes and make a show of it. You got your gun. How many bullets? Doesn't matter. Human shield or no, there ain't enough bullets in the world to get you through what lies between you and the border. But what else are you gonna do? Lay down and die? Not a chance. Not after everything you've done to stay alive.

Maybe you're a sap, because even though Doris did this to you and the boys you love her just the same. The jerk has one thing right. A woman is worth everything a man has to give. You love her, you hate her, you'd kill for her, you'd die for her, no matter what the rest of 'em think. Maybe that makes you the biggest fool alive. Maybe you'd be doing yourself a favor to walk out there gun blazing and make them kill you. It'd make sure there's no chance you have to live remembering the feel of her hair and the sound of her voice and the way she sold you out to save herself. It'd make things easier on you.

Hell with it. Nothing's been easy so far, why change now?

Take your hostages. Get out of here. Live your life, as much as you got left. When the rich jerk turns to ask you his favor just wave him off because this ain't a game. And when he grabs you by the arm and you shake him off and you hear him making his little speech in your head, about the girl who's the future and the life and everything that's good in this world, you make your heart as hard as you can. This ain't a fairytale.

This ain't a fairytale and you ain't the hero, and love is the biggest waste of time and life in the world.

"It can't make any difference to you, Duke," he says. "They can only hang you once."

He's right about everything and nothing and he looks at you like he can see down to your bones, like you're gonna make all the difference in the world when you ain't. You're just trying to survive. You ain't a hero. You're not.

God damn him.

Take your gun and do what you need to do. Kill him because he asked you to. Kill him so that somebody's girl can have the chance Doris won't. But don't you dare let it hurt you. You're what they always said you were. He's right. What's one more life?

Look at the girl crying and the jerk trying to convince her it's alright, and then you go out there and make a show of it.

They can only hang you once, so make it good.


End file.
